The present invention relates to a mathematical teaching apparatus. The apparatus of this invention is particularly useful for teaching of such skills as arithmetic, metric and analytical geometry, and elementary algebra.
One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improved mathematical apparatus employing a plurality of blocks that are adapted to be disposed in a number of different configurations.
Another object of the present invention is to provide mathematical teaching apparatus employing blocks that may be arranged and interpreted for teaching such arithmetic functions as addition, subtraction and multiplication.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a mathematical teaching apparatus employing blocks and that may be useful in teaching the metric system and metric and analytic geometry.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a mathematical teaching apparatus employing blocks and that may be useful in the teaching of at least elementary algebra.
To accomplish the foregoing and other objects of this invention, there is provided a mathematical teaching apparatus in the form of a plurality of blocks of different size arranged in a plurality of planar arrays, one array overlying the other and each having an increasing height. For example, the base array may have a height of 1 cm., and there may be provided overlying this base array, nine other arrays each of incrementing height. Thus, the second array has a height of 2 cm., the third array, 3 cm., etc. The base array and each overlying array is formed of blocks disposed in an x-y grid commencing from a corner cube block which may be considered of unity dimension such as one cubic cm. In the x and y directions, the blocks progress in length by an integer from the corner cube block. Thus, progressing from this corner block, the blocks in orthogonally opposed directions progress in length to 2 cm., 3 cm., 4 cm., etc. up to a final length of 10 cm. in the enclosed embodiment.
The block arrangement of this invention may be used in a variety of different ways to teach different mathematical techniques and also to teach the metric system.